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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778087">until we meet again.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spearbeans/pseuds/spearbeans'>spearbeans</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(diverted from chapter 133), (literally no one else appeared), 104th Centred, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Decapitation, Eren's Human Form is Only My Headcanon, Guns, M/M, Please Read Notes dont come for me, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Manga Spoilers, the rest only appear at the end</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:14:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778087</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spearbeans/pseuds/spearbeans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>" There was only one way out of this. But even after all those years, and all the blood he had spilt on his hands, killing someone never got any easier. </p>
<p>Especially now that it's Eren, of all people."</p>
<p>- in which Jean has to be the one to stop Eren's suffering. </p>
<p>(Read tags/notes for trigger warnings)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jean Kirstein &amp; Eren Yeager, Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>until we meet again.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>TRIGGER WARNING:<br/>- Gun use <br/>- Decapitation<br/>(and they're both related)</p>
<p>- Gore (maybe? im not sure if its considered gorey but just in case!)</p>
<p>--<br/>This was a practice piece for descriptive writing that I wrote in October but never posted here. Since S4 is ONE (1) !! week away might as well share it aha. This was very painful to write (idk why i did this)</p>
<p>fyi: <br/>- eren's human form (if he even has one rn) is only my own headcanon based on that one panel of him that we got<br/>- also i ignored the fact that titan powers would go to an unborn subject of ymir for this </p>
<p>That's all! Have fun reading :D (well not really fun but yaknow)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Horrifying was beyond an understatement for Eren's condition. If he was a normal human, he would have been dead a long time ago. Heck, he barely looked like a human anymore. His neck fleshless, his body only a limbless lump of flesh. Jean gently placed him down on the rooftop and Eren's eyes slowly fluttered open. All the fatigue showed on his face. His droopy, darkened eyes were void of any emotion. The glowing, red Titan marks highlighted his hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes. Jean felt his heart tightening as Eren's eyes slowly turned to look at him. </p>
<p><br/>Jean's shaky hands hovered his gun over Eren's neck. (Or more like, his spine.) He knew what he had to do. Eren had stated it clearly in PATHS. There was only one way out of this. But even after all those years, and all the blood he had spilt on his hands, killing someone never got any easier. </p>
<p><br/>Especially now that it's Eren, of all people. </p>
<p><br/>But he had to do what he needed to do. For the rest of the world. For Paradis. For the Scout Regiment. And most of all, for Eren himself. </p>
<p><br/>Jean’s pained eyes wavered to meet Eren’s exhausted ones. The bright teal Jean had fallen in love with years back were now tainted by dark grey clouds. The burning pain in Jean’s heart quickly travelled up at the sight, forming tears in his eyes. Jean swallowed his saliva, simultaneously pushing his feelings back down. Even through the rumbling chaos as Titans dropped into the ocean thundered around, the amplified sound of his own breathing along with the accompanying drumming of his heartbeat formed an unsettling melody in his ears. The only thing grounding Jean down was the grip his trembling hands had on his gun. </p>
<p><br/>“The nape,” Eren mouthed, unable to make a sound, “Do it, please.”</p>
<p><br/>Jean shut his eyes. The increasing tempo of his dissonant song was not left unnoticed. Jean took a deep breath before letting it back out. He repeated the cycle, focusing on the way the hot, steamy air filled his lungs before coming back out again. He cleared his mind, numbing his thoughts before it could spiral any further. He brought a hand up to his chest. The rhythmic beats had slowed down. Jean opened his eyes again, looking back down to where Eren was. He released the grip he had on his gun, hearing the heavy metal clank as it fell on the roof.</p>
<p><br/>Jean ran his fingers down Eren’s hair, the black hair he used to ruffle after their every meaningless quarrel. Jean moved the stray strands away from Eren’s face. Jean lightly brushed his thumb over Eren’s forehead, trailing down to his cheeks. The Titan marks felt scratchy on his fingers as he cupped Eren’s cheeks. It was warm. Jean was not sure if it was the same warmth that had once enveloped him in the coldest winter weather. It’s been far too long since he felt it, he could barely remember. He swiped his thumb over Eren’s undereye, feeling the lines of bumps that formed across it. Jean took his time gently running his hands around Eren’s face, the same way he did when he studied Eren’s features over and over again on all the nights they had spent together. He faintly grazed over Eren’s lips, the one he has kissed countless times before. </p>
<p><br/>“Please, end this,” Eren mouthed again.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.</em>
</p>
<p><br/>Jean only has to shoot and sever the brain’s connection from the body. </p>
<p><br/>“And live long, promise me.”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>Breathe in. Breathe out.</em>
</p>
<p><br/>Simple.</p>
<p><br/>“I love you.”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>Breathe in, breathe out.</em>
</p>
<p><br/>His arm reached out towards his gun again. He repositioned himself, kneeling in front of Eren before carrying Eren to sit upright. He pushed Eren's head to rest on his shoulder, keeping his left hand on Eren's head to support it. His right arm held the gun at the side of Eren’s nape, aiming it right at the target. The shot was going to be at point-blank range.<em> It's time to end this.</em></p>
<p><br/>"You don't have to murder for our sake anymore. You never had to," Jean whispered, barely holding back the tears that were threatening to fall, "Goodbye, Eren."<br/>Jean placed his hands on the trigger, “I love you too, so much. We all do.”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <strong>Bang!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p><br/>Jean closed his eyes, too afraid to look. Eren’s body fell, meeting the rooftop with a quiet thud. Jean slowly placed Eren's head down. Jean opened his eyes, the sight of a lifeless Eren greeting him. A bolt of lightning struck in him, breaking the dam that had been holding his emotions in place. The withheld feelings rushed through every inch of him, the pain running through his every vein. He screamed as his chest burned with both grief and agony. He dropped his gun, reaching out to grip onto Eren’s body. Jean felt his strength leaving him, falling head first onto Eren. The tears still showed no signs of stopping, streaming down and wetting both his cheeks and Eren. Jean’s head pounded, aching from every corner. </p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>It happened again. He lost someone dear to him, again. </em>
</p>
<p><br/>“Jean… Eren…” Armin called out, the horror in his voice crystal clear although his voice was just barely above a whisper.</p>
<p><br/>Still too shaken to look up, Jean could only apologise between sobs, “I’m sorry, I should have let him see you one last time.”</p>
<p><br/>The newly appointed commander approached Jean, taking carefully calculated footsteps before kneeling beside him. Armin rubbed Jean’s back, silently comforting the taller. Jean could hear the sound of Mikasa’s sobbing from across him. She was painfully quiet otherwise. A zipping sound buzzed from a distance away before he heard Connie’s voice. </p>
<p><br/>“He’s… really dead,” Connie stated, though his disbelief made it sound more like a question, “We… won?”</p>
<p><br/>“Yeah, we did,” Armin replied, “The cost was too much for it to be a complete victory, but… yeah. It’s over.”</p>
<p><br/>Jean got up, his eyes locked on the ground. The building guilt in him would only grow exponentially if he even looked at Mikasa and Armin. He killed their childhood friend, after all, literally breaking his neck with a gunshot. All without letting them see each other for the last time. </p>
<p><br/>“I’m sorry. I should have let you guys do it,” Jean apologised again, though no amount of apologising could probably suffice to heal their broken hearts.</p>
<p><br/>Armin held Jean’s hand, “No, you did what you had to do. Look at Eren, he looks the most peaceful he has ever been since four years ago. I’m sure he was happy to let you end his suffering.”</p>
<p><br/>“Yes, I doubt either of us could have done it,” Mikasa added, “And I’m sure Eren was glad to be with you in his last moments.”</p>
<p><br/>Jean heavily lifted his head, looking at Mikasa and Armin. The both of them looked at him gently, with no sign of resentment in their eyes. Jean quickly returned his gaze downwards. He wiped his tears with his sleeve before gradually getting up on his feet. He walked away from Eren’s body, leaving the duo to say their final goodbyes to Eren.</p>
<p><br/>“Dumb question, but are you okay?” Connie asked as Jean approached him.</p>
<p><br/>Jean wordlessly wrapped his arms around Connie, “I’m sorry, lend me your shoulders for a while.”</p>
<p><br/>“It’ll be fine, we’ll… we’ll get through this together,” Connie said, though the hesitation laced between his words was not overlooked. </p>
<p><br/>Jean nodded. At that instance, they were just empty words: a spur of the moment phrase exchanged in a desperate attempt to find a ray of optimism. But Jean would hold on to it. Anything to grab onto is better than nothing, given their situation.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p><br/>“Let’s all live long lives,” Jean declared as they rode through the sky on their return to Paradis, “It was Eren’s final wish for us.”</p>
<p><br/>The other three nodded. And Jean knew they would hold on to their promise as tight as they could. He hoped Eren was watching them from the other side. </p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>Until the day that we meet again, Jaeger.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it :') </p>
<p>kudos and comments are very much appreciated &lt;3 you can find me on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/tendoutwts">here</a> or tumblr <a href="http://spearbeans.tumblr.com/">here</a>! my dms are open if u ever wanna cry over aot w me :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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